Jim
Lewis, who said today he
plans to run for Florida
attorney general next
year, plans to run on an
unorthodox platform. He
thinks fewer people
should be sent to
prison, especially for
drug crimes.
Despite
that element of his
platform, the Fort
Lauderdale lawyer isn't
seeking the Democratic
nomination for attorney
general. He's a
long-time Republican and
said he's seeking his
party's nomination for
the state's top legal
job.
“My
message is going to be a
little different from
the usual, especially
Republican, candidate
running for this
office,” Lewis said.
But, he said, he has a
unique perspective as
someone who's worked as
a prosecutor, worked as
a criminal defense
lawyer, and taught at
Nova Southeastern
University's law school.
He said that is better
preparation than the
political experience
enjoyed by the other
potential candidates for
the job.
“I know
what it's like to ask
somebody to death as a
prosecutor. And I know
what it's like to defend
them,” Lewis said.
Lewis,
51, also knows what it's
like to run for office.
He has unsuccessfully
run for Fort Lauderdale
mayor, Fort Lauderdale
city commissioner,
Broward public defender,
circuit judge and state
representative. His most
recent loss was the
February primary for
District 4 City
Commission. He came in
third in the
four-candidate field,
with just under 14
percent of the vote.
“People
say, 'Well you've run
for office before,' and
that's true. I've
learned and met a lot of
people every time I've
run for office. I
haven't been selected
yet, but this is truly
what I've been called to
do,” Lewis said. “I'm
not discouraged. I
believe if you work hard
enough and if your
heart's in the right
place, ultimately the
voters will pick you for
something.”
Lewis
said he thinks much
about the way the
criminal justice system
works doesn't make
sense. “I'm upset by the
way that we're spending
money on just creating
new prison beds instead
of creating
alternatives.”
For
example, he said, a
person who has a
“handful” of Vicodin
pain pills without a
prescription shouldn't
get 15 or 25 years in
prison. “Take them out
and put them in
community settings,
house arrest, and try to
help them instead of
spending $68,000 a year
to house them” in
prison, Lewis suggested.
“I
realize that's not a
position most
Republicans are going to
take. But I am what I
am. I'm not going to
start switching,” he
said.
He
estimated it would cost
about $2 million for the
campaign. He said he'd
spend some of his own
money on the race, but
would seek to raise
money for much of the
cost of the campaign.
Lewis
said he'd campaign
heavily in Miami-Dade
County and in Central
Florida, where there are
lots of Republican
voters who don't know
him. In Broward,
Republicans “know me for
who I am and what I am
usually. So I'm going to
have to get out of
Broward County and see
if I can sell my message
in other parts of the
state. We'll see how it
goes.”
